Item - 2020.PH14.4

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council approve the recommended approach and work plan as described in the report (May 19, 2020), including the phased Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) Prioritization Approach (Attachment 2), the preliminary stakeholder list (Attachment 4) and engagement strategy described in the report (May 19, 2020) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, as amended by Recommendation 2 below.

2. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to consult with equity seeking groups to seek their inclusion and participation as stakeholders through the ongoing Growth Plan Conformity and Municipal Comprehensive Review process. 

3. City Council authorize the commencement of the City's next Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) on August 4, 2020, and request that the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning receive written requests to convert lands designated Core Employment Areas or General Employment Areas for non-employment uses, pursuant to A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019) policies 2.2.5.9 and 2.2.5.10 until August 3, 2021.

4. City Council authorize the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to review the conversion requests received as contemplated by Recommendation 3 above by applying the Conversion and Removal Policies for Employment Areas (Attachment 3) to the report (May 19, 2020) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

5. City Council request the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the City Solicitor, to review options on introducing a fee associated with reviewing conversion requests outlined in Recommendation 3 above contained in the report (May 19, 2020) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

The Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning gave a presentation on Growth Plan (2019) Conformity and Municipal Comprehensive Review Work Plan.

This report outlines City Planning staff's recommended approach and work plan that will ultimately result in Official Plan Amendments required to align the Official Plan with the Province's A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2019) ("Growth Plan (2019)"). The updated Growth Plan was brought into effect on May 16, 2019. 

The Planning Act requires that municipalities revise their official plan to ensure that it conforms to provincial plans. The Places to Grow Act requires that municipalities amend their official plan to conform to the Growth Plan. These provincially legislated requirements are satisfied through a Growth Plan conformity exercise and Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR). The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is the approval authority for the conformity exercise and MCR. There is no appeal of the Minister's approval. The Minister has established a deadline to achieve the required conformity exercise under the Places to Grow Act on or by July 1, 2022. It is staff's understanding that the Province's Suspension of Statutory Time-lines under the Planning Act do not apply to the legislated conformity date.

The upcoming Growth Plan Conformity and MCR present an opportunity to address, through planning policy, a number of the growth related challenges facing Toronto today and in the future. These challenges include: housing affordability, climate change, mobility, public health and others that will help inform the City's response to, and recovery from the current global pandemic. The recommended work plan presents City Planning's recommended approach to implement inclusionary zoning and put in place a policy framework that is balanced and appropriately manages anticipated population and employment growth while planning complete communities. Importantly, this work plan responds to the City's overall objective to improve housing supply across the spectrum.

The recommended engagement strategy is intended to ensure that all Torontonians, businesses, and other stakeholders, including First Nations and Métis communities have the opportunity to participate in this initiative. Staff will design the citywide engagement strategy to accommodate physical distancing measures, given the City's current inability to host large public gatherings. In response to the Planning and Housing Committee's direction to prioritize the study of the Keele – St. Clair area, this report provides information related to this local area study.